Story of Tuam home was handled with 'utmost care and sensitivity'

Film on general release this weekend

THE Director of The Lost Children of Tuam is “very excited” for people in Tuam to see the film which goes on general release in Irish cinemas this weekend.

Since 2021 Frank Berry has been working on the film which charts the story of local historian Catherine Corless’ research into the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, research which has resulted in a world first forensic excavation of the site.

Catherine appeared on last Friday night’s Late Late Show on RTÉ with producer of the film and well-known Irish actor Liam Neeson. The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh during the summer where it took the Best Irish Film Award. It had its international debut at the Toronoto Film Festival last week where Berry said it was met with an equally “emotional” response by the audience as it had in Galway.

It also had an Irish showcase viewing last weekend where Catherine, Liam Neeson and the cast received a standing ovation at the start of the film. “That certainly was a first,” laughed Frank, who is also astutely aware of how highly emotive the matters covered in the film are.

“We’ve worked hard getting it right and we’ve approached it with the utmost care and sensitivity,” Frank Berry told The Tuam Herald.

“Everyone involved was aware of the weight of responsibility in getting this right.”

He was adamant from the start to the tell the story “truthfully”. “I’ve always been mindful that this is a story that means a lot to people. We didn’t take any liberties with the facts, and we approached it in a restrained manner.”

The award-winning director had no intention of over-dramatising the story. Catherine’s story and the stories of families and survivors were “moving in their own right and didn’t need to be embellished”. He also accepts that there have been fears that the story surrounding the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home was given the ‘Hollywood’ treatment, but he assures future audiences that this is not the case and he encourages people in Tuam to watch the film.

“We all agreed on the tone of the film, that it would be realistic and respectful.” There was no intention of putting Ireland’s past “through a Hollywood lens”.

Filming took place on a number of days in Tuam and the town isn’t replicated. While the crew spent time with Catherine and her family in Brownsgrove, her home is a set. “We had a wonderful experience filming in Tuam and received a lovely reception.”

Berry has the utmost regard for Catherine Corless. “She’s an extraordinary person, she doesn’t like the limelight, doesn’t court praise. She evokes so much admiration and respect. She’s a lovely example of someone acting out of pure moral motivation.”

Frank Berry hopes that the film will evoke further discussion about Ireland’s past and its ongoing impact on people here and around the world.

The forensic excavation of the former Tuam Mother and Baby site began just over a year ago and to date the remains of 99 babies and infants have been recovered. Catherine Corless’ research shows that there were 796 babies who were recorded as dying at the home but there are no matching burial records.

The Lost Children of Tuam Film hits Irish cinemas this weekend and will also be shown in England in October. “It’s a chapter of my life that I’m immensely proud of,” concluded Berry.